One of the main features of iOS 26 was the new Liquid Glass design, the first major overhaul since iOS 7. Apple made all UI elements transparent, including tabs, buttons, and menus. Liquid Glass also featured lighting effects, with light reflected and refracted by digital surfaces. But Liquid Glass’s design drew widespread criticism from users, starting with the first beta of iOS 26. The transparent menus were difficult to read in some apps, like Music and Control Center, so Apple tried to fix the problem. Subsequent beta versions of iOS 26 increased the opacity, drawing criticism from Liquid Glass fans who disliked the opaque user interface. Apple found middle ground and, in October 2025, introduced a Liquid Glass customization option, giving users a choice between Clear and Tinted looks in iOS 26.1. But it’s iOS 27 that finally brings the Liquid Glass fix that iOS 26 needed from the start, a translucency slider that lets the user choose their preferred level of transparency.
Seen in the images above and below, the slider is already available in the first iOS 27 developer beta, and it’s similar to the transparency slider that Apple added to the lock screen clock in iOS 26.2. Apple said during the WWDC 2026 keynote that it took user and developer feedback into account when refining the design of Liquid Glass for iOS 27. The company explained that it “tuned Liquid Glass so that it streams complex content behind it much more effectively, while also creating more depth and separation” to improve readability. These tweaks should improve the default Liquid Glass experience for most people, Apple said, but the company still added a slider that lets users adjust Liquid Glass’s transparency.
How to Customize Liquid Glass Transparency in iOS 27
The Liquid Glass slider will appear in two places after installing the first beta of iOS 27: the iPhone Settings screen and the Settings app. This behavior makes sense because Apple gives users the option to configure Liquid Glass during device setup. But users can always return to Liquid Glass’s customization slider later by going to the Settings app. You will need to tap the Appearance menu and then navigate to Liquid Glass to adjust the translucency level of the UI.
iPad and Mac Liquid Glass customization will be similar. Seen above in a screenshot taken on an iPad running iPadOS 27 beta, the Liquid Glass customization screen also includes a scrolling preview image that will allow users to see how a specific setting will impact readability. They can choose ultra clear and fully tinted options, and anywhere in between, to decide which look best suits their experience.
In addition to offering a customization option for Liquid Glass, Apple also addressed another criticism of the original Liquid Glass implementation: the appearance of Apple app icons by default. With iOS 26, some icons appeared blurry after the Liquid Glass redesign. iOS 27 fixes this issue by adding separate Liquid Glass layers to app icons. According to Apple, these changes make icons “sharper and more defined” whether you use color or the general erase option. Users cannot customize the transparency of app icons, but they can choose a clear app icon appearance. Long-press the Home screen wallpaper and tap Change when the icons start shaking. A Customize option will let you change the appearance of app icons, including light and tinted looks.
